Category: Finance

In many parts of the United States, winter comes with heavy snowfall, icy roads and dangerously low temperatures. These extreme conditions can damage not only the human body but also a car. Those who plan to drive a lot during winter should get optimal coverage. This also includes roadside assistance. Roadside assistance is the most useful add-on during winter. When getting online car insurance quotes, make sure to check this service and see how much

Being a high-risk driver means that you pay a whole lot more on car insurance, when compared with Standard or Preferred drivers. And by more we mean double, triple, or even more. That means thousands and thousands of dollars more, each year. And nobody wants to pay that much. Do not make the mistake of renouncing coverage when you are labeled high-risk. A coverage lapse is also a reason to be called high-risk. And good

After being involved in a car accident, the last thing that goes through your mind is to take photos. But there are good reasons why you should take pictures after an accident and we will immediately enumerate them. Of course, we are talking about pictures with the damaged car and other property damage, not “selfies” or other types of images. Images can prove to be substantial evidence in determining which driver should be held accountable and

Saving money where you can make sense for everyone. With the costs of everything going up, it’s inevitable that most everyone will search for ways to reduce expenses. One expense many people typically consider reducing is their car insurance coverage. With the average driver having an accident every 10 years, you may think that your car insurance coverage can be trimmed down a bit. If you never had an accident till now, you may not

The wildfire raging across California may be the most destructive ever. With at least 31 people dead and more than 200 missing, the final outcome may be grimmer than anyone expected. The financial losses are also horrific. In the north, the so-called Camp Fire has become the deadliest, largest, and most destructive fire in state history, killing at least 29 people and consuming 111,000 acres. In its trail of ash stand the smoldering ruins of Paradise,

Car insurance costs can reach several thousand dollars per year, depending on the provider, risk profile and coverage options. Drivers seeking cheaper car insurance should use the following tips: Bundle policies. Insurance companies with great financial power will offer to insure more than just the car and their online questionnaire will not forget to mention that. Policyholders who combine car insurance with home, renters or life insurance will receive a significant discount. The value of the

Usually, car insurance policies have a 12-month term. When the expiration date approaches, your insurer will notify you about this. A few weeks before your policy is due to end, you will receive an email or letter from your auto insurer telling you that they will renew your policy. While it is easy to let your coverage auto-renew year after year, you may not always be paying the best price and receiving the right coverage.

A deductible on a car insurance policy is a predetermined amount of money that you must pay before your insurer will cover a claim. Deductibles generally only apply to comprehensive and collision coverage, but they also can be found on special policies. Find out how deductibles work and get quotes from the best automobile insurance provider in your area, before selecting a policy and its deductibles. Comp/collision coverage apply to a number of incidents in which

Buying a new car can be a dream given form. But this beautiful dream can quickly end if the recently purchased car is totaled during an accident. As you can imagine, recovering the loss is difficult and insurance companies will not agree to pay the full value of the car. Instead, they will try to haggle and delay the claim settle, until the actual cash value will be a bit lower. But you can avoid

Installing car tracking devices and systems is what car safety experts and car insurance companies recommend. Find out why you should install tracking devices. Plus, if you are interested in car insurance, get free car quotes from our website. But check the following reasons: Avoid Heavy Traffic Areas: A GPS tracking system can help you avoid being stuck in traffic by alerting you of the best possible route to take. GPS tracking systems are able

All car insurance companies use a fairly similar rating system in which the drivers are added to several risk category classes. Being a low risk driver is something desirable by all driers since it provider immense financial benefits. But first, find out what a low-risk driver is and get free car quotes insurance from our website. Being a low risk driver means that there is a low insurability risk and the company will only earn money by

Cracking your windshield can seem a really minor issue, when compared to totaling your car in an accident, but it still may warrant an insurance claim. A small crack in your windshield is easy to ignore, especially if it doesn’t hinder your vision while driving. But a larger break or a shattered windshield needs immediate attention before you can get behind the wheel again. Having windshield repair coverage will help a lot. Find out more

Even though it’s winter and it’s really cold, you can still ride your bike. However, do not do that without taking into consideration the next tips and safety precautions. And if you want to have your ride fully protected, get proper coverage. Visit our website for free car insurance quotes. The first thing to do is to make sure that the ice does not damage the bike. Moisture trapped in your vehicle will freeze and

Having a good auto insurance provider is as important as having a good policy. Nobody wants to work with an unreliable company, which has many customer negative reviews or poor financial stability. Find out how to compare auto insurance providers and make a smart choice. Check the car insurance company’s consumer track record. To narrow the option list, you should check which companies are considered the best in your area. Visit your state insurance commission’s

December is getting close and many areas of the US are covered in snow. This makes driving difficult and it requires precaution measures. Every responsible driver must have an increased level of awareness and readiness. If you want to find out more about the supplies and equipment needed to drive in the snow easier, you should read the following article. Unfortunately, not all accidents are avoidable and the consequences can be dramatic. Paying for medical

When we hear about auto insurance we instantly think about liability auto insurance. Unfortunately there are many situations when liability auto insurance is useless. It only pays for the property damage and physical injuries you produce. But in a car accident both parties are affected and if you have only liability auto insurance, your wrecked car will be repaired with money from your own pocket. This financial loss can be easily prevented if you purchase

We all know that the insurance cost for those less than 25 years old is pretty high. If you are a teen driver or a worried parent, you should start looking for ways to trim those really expensive bills. Luckily there are some ways to do that and we will immediately explain. But you should always remember that shopping around and comparing car insurance quotes will always be necessary. There are several ways in which

Many times, when you look for auto insurance online quote or for insurance tips, you will see one tip that is almost on any webpage: if you own an older car, then you should reduce your insurance coverage. Few people understand why you should reduce coverage on old car. Now we will explain the main reasons, and hopefully, we will help you save a lot of money. First of all, we recommend you to determine

Insurance companies do not provide random numbers when asking for premiums. Each company uses a series of algorithms and statistic data in order to compute rates. And they take into account numerous factors. Some of these factors are under policyholder’s control, allowing him a degree of cost management. If you want to know that most important factors that affect auto insurance costs, read the following post. Also, you can get free online auto insurance quotes

Car insurance may seem to be a tremendous financial burden for every driver. Luckily, this misconception can be easily proven wrong. There are many drivers who pay much less than you think and still got a really good coverage plan. Check our tips on how to reduce car insurance costs. If you are interested in buying coverage plans, we recommend you to get some online auto insurance quotes and compare prices. Get quotes and compare

Everybody knows that’s it’s illegal to drive without insurance, but that doesn’t stop some irresponsible motorists from hit the roads while uninsured. This mistake can costly dearly and can have long-term consequences. Find out why you should avoid driving uninsured. We know that insurance can be expensive and we can help you find a good and affordable policy. Check our website if you want to compare car insurance quotes for free. If you are caught

Getting fast results has become a necessity in our times. We cannot waste time using the old ways. Speed and efficiency are vital elements for our times. Without these two, you will be quickly overwhelmed. So, even when doing minor things, try to be as fast as possible. Time becomes a pressing issue when you have to buy or sell certain valuable products or services. When searching for quotes, you also have to search for

It’s not quite the surprise that teen students pay a higher price on car insurance due to their young age. Students looking for relief from the high cost of insurance do have some options. A couple of car insurance discounts designed specifically for students are available through most insurance carriers. Learn how to get a good student discount for car insurance. Check our website to learn more about saving money on car insurance. Students who work hard to get good grades

Discounts vary a lot based on state laws and an insurer’s own policies. Each company will have its own eligibility criteria, and the savings will vary as well. You should be able to see what discounts you’re currently receiving by reviewing the declarations page of your policy, though it may not list which vehicle is getting what discount and how much. Find out how to access low mileage discount and visit our website for more

Find out how to avoid auto insurance price spikes. Visit our webpage for free online car insurance quotes and tips on how to save money on car insurance. Be a smart buyer and use quote comparison services. Prices vary from company to company, so it pays to shop around. Get at least three price quotes. You can call companies directly or access information on the Internet. Your state insurance department may also provide comparisons of

Usage Based Insurance (UBI) is one of the most recent novelties introduced to the insurance market. By adding monitoring devices to the car, the insurance providers are able to analyze the sent data referring to client’s driving behavior. The company will know when you drive, where you park the car, how you brake or slow down and many other things. Based on the data, the insurance company will be able to create an accurate profile,

Check the top 10 major changes in the auto insurance industry in 2016 and check our website for free insurance quotes online auto. First fatality caused by an autonomous car. Last year, in May, was recorded the first death caused by a self-driving car. The involved model was a Tesla Model S on autopilot. The driver dies when the vehicle crashed into a tractor-trailer. This event raised concerned about the safety of autonomous cars and

Find out more about Uninsured car insurance and get auto insurance online quote from us! Drivers in most states are legally required to carry auto liability insurance coverage. However, one in eight drivers on U.S. roads is uninsured, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). And being in an accident with just one of them could put you at financial risk. This is why it is wise to purchase uninsured car insurance. Find out more about

Check the following 6 factors that affect auto insurance costs. Also, get free online auto insurance quotes from our website. Here are the main factors: Very young drivers, especially teens, are usually labeled as inexperienced and thus they are more prone to committing or being involved in accident. Young drivers pay more on car insurance. On the opposite site, mature and even senior drivers, pay less, because they are considered low risk customers, with a

Renewing your auto insurance policy is an integrated part of your driving experience. In fact, you are not allowed to drive without having insurance or any form of financial responsibility. Renewing the plans makes sure that you are protected and have financial responsibility. After renewal, your rates can get higher or decrease, depending on various factors. Some of them are under your control. Read more about the things you should negotiate when renewing car insurance

It is a well-known fact that by having auto insurance you obtain a high level of security and the knowledge that your car or the car you are driving will be covered by a policy in case an accident occurs. With online quotes for auto insurance, you will be empowered to choose correctly between many different auto insurance providers, having access to the best deal for your specific needs. This is even more important if you

When you have to search for auto insurance, you should remember that knowledge is power. In this case, it means the power to make a decision which is based on rational judgment which will ultimately benefit you. The auto insurance market is very complex these days as it offers coverage for a wide variety of consumers, and being well informed is of utmost importance when shopping for car insurance. Check these websites where you can

Check the pros of getting online info about car insurance and visit our website, where you can obtain car company insurance online quotes You can get all the info you want, when you want. No matter that is the middle of day or midnight, you can check all the info you want about car insurance online. This is great for today’s busy lifestyle. Online car insurance has the convenience of being available at all hours

Having no job severely limits the financial possibilities of any persons. This includes the capacity of paying for car insurance. It is a vicious circle in which being unemployed may cause you to pay more. Furthermore, being unemployed also influences the rates of the drivers in your area. We will discuss this in detail immediately. Meanwhile, if you are unemployed and you want to keep a policy active, by either switching to another carrier or

Being a good driver, having a safe car and having an excellent credit score may seem strong enough reasons to have the best rates. Unfortunately, this is not true. While those with the mentioned perks have good rates, they may not get the best rates yet. There are still some factors that weigh heavily in deciding the insurance cost. For example, the place you live is very influential and you can observe that by comparing

There are more than 6 million car accidents in the U.S. each year, on average, according to statistical data provided by the NHTSA. The average property damage cost of a car accident is around $9,300. For accidents that cause disabling injuries, the average cost is around $80,700 per crash. A car insurance policy protects your finances from these expenses. Aside from helping you with the cost of an accident, your car insurer can help protect

Verifying the price of a product in comparison with what other sellers have to offer is a really good habit, one which could save you lots of money. You can apply this simple rule to any product you buy, including an auto insurance policy. The smart tools to use for comparing auto insurance prices are auto insurance quotes. And yes, it is possible to get a quote on car insurance. Specialized websites and car insurance

Check our blog to find out what info you must provide if you want accurate auto insurance quotes online! Basic information about the car. In order to insure any car, you must provide exact details about it. You will be asked about the car’s manufacturer and exact model, including fabrication year. Companies will then run several searches and find out some statistical data about the car model, including recent calls, manufacturing defects, number of accidents

Getting car insurance free quotes online is highly convenient, easy and money-saving. Find out when to get car insurance quotes: When the renewal date approaches. Car insurance is a signed contract for a predetermined amount of time. When the time comes for the plan to expire, you are given the chance to renew the contract with the same carrier. Well, this happens when there are no major changes in your life and driving history that

Find out why it is important to get a car insurance quote free before you signing a deal. Check the following reasons: 1) You will be able to scan and analyze the insurance market. There are numeours providers that sell auto insurance plans and it is almost impossible to be familiar with them all. Even as we speak, a local company may start its business. And since being new to the market, a company will want to

It’s a well-known fact that the cost of car insurance varies depending on many factors, such as your driver’s age, the type of car you drive and claims history. What may come as a surprise, however, is the cost of auto insurance also varies depending on the month you purchase a policy. So, when is the best time to buy car insurance? The info we provide in this blog is based on statistics offered by

Getting car insurance is a severe necessity for any driver who wants to drive safe and lawfully. But it is useful to remember that there is a really obvious difference between car insurance providers, even for the same policy and with the same extra services. This means that looking over the market and comparing results is a must if you want to save money. Using free car insurance quotes has never been easier than now

There are so many positive aspects of auto insurance quotes online or car insurance comparison, in addition to its swiftness. Many experts have noticed the fact that most effective car insurance prices are usually found on the internet. All providers give considerably better discounts on the internet for the reason that they are knowledgeable of the reality that on-line customers get access to many others. The sites offering car insurance quotes are usually dependable and

Sharing with your family comes logically and many parents use cars with their sons and daughters. But insuring your family under the same policy might seem a bit complicated. Find out the best car insurance policies for a family car and visit our website for free car insurance quotes. If you already have a car insurance policy, you could simply add a family member as a named driver on your already existing policy. This will

Auto insurance is the next thing to buy after a car. Sometimes we buy it with the car. Just as we take several factors when buying the car, auto insurance also depends on many factors. Asking for auto insurance online quote depends on the type of vehicle, model, various installed safety and tracking devices, manufacturing year and so many other things. The internet comes to the rescue and releases all the stress of the getting

Check our tips on how to get car insurance quotes like a pro buyer and visit our website to get a car insurance quote. In order to get quotes like a pro, you must understand first what you buy. This is why researching the car insurance industry should not resume only at finding the cheapest price. You must understand the purpose of each policy and understand the pros and cons. The auto insurance glossary can

The basic car insurance coverage is just what your state imposes to have in order to drive legally on the streets. Typically it refers to a certain amount of liability coverage, consisting of property damage and bodily injuries coverage amounts which will be used to reimburse the victims of an accident you cause. Remember, this is used to reimburse the victims, not yourself or your passengers. And having just this policy is really un-recommended. Find

Check out the scenarios covered by various car insurance policies and if you want to analyze their prices, get an auto insurance online quote from our website. Injuries and property damage you cause. The main purpose of liability auto insurance is to provide financial support to anyone you injure or have their property damaged. Liability coverage provides Bodily Injury and Property Damage separate coverages. Injuries and property damage you sustain. This part is a bit

If you are a driver, you will not only need auto insurance coverage for your own safety and financial purposes, you will also be required to do so because your state imposes it. But knowing exactly which type of coverage should you have, and which ones are you required to have, highly depends on your unique circumstances. You may want to know what the usual car insurance options are and get car insurance quotes online

Getting your first car is certainly a memorable event. Although you might be overwhelmed by joy and excitement, you must not forget your responsibilities and civic duties. And getting car insurance is one of the most urgent ones. Keeping your auto insurance active is a requirement for driving legally in any state of the United States. But getting your first insurance may be complicated and in order to successfully get a really good plan, you

Check our list with things you should consider when searching for a new car insurance plan. Also, read more on our website and get free quotes. If the plan is within your financial grasp. Buying something without having the actual means for paying it is a grave mistake and one that should be avoided. This is why you can always get car insurance quotes and compare prices before even considering buying a certain plan. With

Find out what events are covered by auto insurance. Getting financial responsibility is a must and if you do not want to pay too much, you should shop around using online auto insurance quotes. But first, let’s analyze the coverage options: Liability insurance. This policy pays for damage and injuries you cause others in accidents. It consists of Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability. Bodily injury liability pays the medical expenses of others who

Check the following tips for choosing the best car insurance policy and visit our website to get free car insurance quotes. Check for minimum coverage. States’ legal minimums for insurance coverage should be considered just minimums and it is strongly recommended to acquire policies with much higher limits. If you’re found guilty in a crash and only have the state minimum required coverage, you risk being held personally responsible for paying the other party’s damages. Choose

Because auto insurance companies have rates that vary a lot, it is really helpful to shop around when selecting your insurer. Generally, it’s really recommended to car insurance quotes online free and information from at least three separate insurance companies. Calling insurance carriers directly, asking family and friends about their insurance providers and getting an auto insurance quote online are just some of the steps you can take in ensuring you pick the right auto insurance

Today, you can easily get and compare car insurance quotes and even buy the policy online. With all this new internet and telecommunications technologies and lightning-fast exchange of info, it is extremely easy to analyze all sort of products and decide which one to buy. Price comparison is the best thing to do when planning to invest money. Buying a car insurance plan is one of those serious investments we must be careful with when

Car insurance companies have released numerous television commercials, pleading consumers to sign up for what is commonly called pay-as-you-drive insurance, although some in the industry prefer the term “usage-based insurance.” You’ll also hear this type of insurance referred to as telematics, which describes the joint usage of technology and information. Find out if you should buy pay-as-you-drive insurance and check home and auto insurance quotes online. The idea behind pay-as-you-drive insurance is that if you

The vast majority of U.S. drivers will be involved in a car accident, no matter if we are talking about a minor collision or one with severe injuries, during their driving years. It is important to know how fill in a claim to your insurer and get proper reimbursement. Claim types include bodily injury claims for medical expenses and property damage claims to vehicle repairs and stolen property. Read more about how to get your

Rates are based on a number of issues, ranging from the minimum requirements of each state as well as the number of accidents in each region and the percentage of uninsured drivers. Generally, consumers can reduce their premium to the lowest possible by signing up for liability insurance at their state’s minimum limit, but that strategy can be risky. Nowadays, you can easily compare online auto insurance quotes and find out how much you will

Drivers frequently criticize their sky-high auto insurance charges. But if they receive even a minor ticket, those costs–and the complaints that follow–will undoubtedly hit new highs. Read more and use our website to get car insurance quote online. New data fromInsuranceQuotes.com shows that DUI and reckless driving tickets will cause drivers’ annual premiums to jump by an average of 94% and 85%, respectively, the Detroit Bureau reported. While those price hikes might not seem unreasonable given the

We all need to get car insurance quote before purchasing a policy. And we need to get a quote as accurate as possible. Read our list with tips on how to get accurate car insurance quotes online: Find a website that provides an extensive form. When you offer more info, you will get more accurate quotes. The only condition is that the info is real; otherwise results will be very high or very low. Know

Having auto insurance is mandatory for any driver in the United States. And there are even coverage limits imposed by each state. Some coverage types are mandated by the state, while others are optional. If you are new to the insurance market, check this blog post that talks about the pros and cons for every car insurance plan. Also, get a free car insurance quote from every major insurer before buying a policy. Liability auto

Online auto insurance quotes are priceless comparison tools. Check our list with the advantages of comparing prices with auto quotes online and visit our website to get them for free. You will quickly find providers. You no longer have to browse through phone book if you urgently need to find an auto insurance provider. This traditional method is obsolete and totally ineffective nowadays. Online quotes provide pricing and contact details. It is far easier to

The renewal date of your insurance policy is based upon the date your policy took effect. So it could actually take place on any day of the year depending on when you originally started the policy. Renewing your policy in advance may have some surprising effects, like getting lower rates. Read our blog-post and find out why you should renew the car insurance policy in advance. We also recommend you to get some free car

Car insurance companies employ armies of underwriters and actuaries who crunch insurance numbers all day, but it’s the auto insurance agents who really know the score. Agents know a company’s guidelines and products inside and out as they stand on the front lines and field questions from customers. And some agents work in your favors, while others try to keep up with their agenda and shove you some policies. Check the 3 hints that you

For the majority of the last century, the only option people had when buying auto insurance was number one. Insurance agents acted as middlemen connecting the consumer with the insurance company. Because of this, the cost of buying auto insurance through an agent is often higher than buying direct because there are sales commissions tacked onto the price of the coverage. Plus, you should avoid pushy car insurance agents; they are persons you should not work with

Fleet Management is one of the best indicators of the logistics of a company. Fleet management is a term used to describe the management of all aspects relating to a company’s vehicle. If you own a business fleet insurance is definitely a type of insurance you should consider buying. Fleet insurance is a type of insurance that will cover four or more vehicles under a single policy. Read more about the many different benefits of insuring

Christmas is the best month to give and receive presents. But have you considered that even the car insurance companies are taking part of this generosity circle and are willing to provide cheaper policies. Overall, it is the cheapest to buy auto insurance plans of Christmas. We will immediately tell you all the reasons and you will have to decide whether to skip or not this tempting offer. But, like in any other quest, you

Auto insurance can be a major cost for motorists who already face high fuel prices, paying for regular taxes and services and of course covering the cost of the vehicle they drive each day. Whether you are male or female, old or young, follow these steps to lower premiums. Shop around for car insurance, using auto insurance quotes online. It is often a simple but effective way to reduce the price you pay for cover. Insurance

When obtaining auto insurance coverage, many persons rely on car insurance agents to assist them in selecting and securing the right policy. In recent years many people have chosen the option of buying directly from their insurance providers, either on the phone or online, after getting car insurance quotes. When making the choice regarding what option is best for you, it’s important to consider the role of auto insurance agents and if the services that they provide

Check our list with top quality anti-theft car devices. Also you should get the best insurance for your vehicle. Compare online auto insurance quotes. Commando FM-870. The Commando FM-870 is a souped-up keychain pager. It can unlock car doors without a key and start the engine remotely from 2,500 feet (762 meters) away. The Commando includes a small device with an LCD display that monitors doors and trunks open/closed and can detect hard impacts to your

Auto manufacturers continue to make safety a top priority across all makes and models. Here are the 2015 safest SUVs that have the best safety ratings according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. You should really get free car insurance quotes for this model and notice how low are the premiums. 2015 Volvo XC60. 2015 XC60 ($36,200) did not disappoint in IIHS crash tests. In fact, the XC60 earned Top Safety Pick+ with “Advanced”

Lately, numerous automakers have been under pressure and fined with huge amounts of money for not reporting defects or mishandling recalls. Check the fines and penalties suffered by automakers recently and do not forget to obtain auto insurance quotes online if you have a car produced by the following car makers: Volkswagen. For Volkswagen, the cost of its cheating on emissions tests in the U.S. is likely to run into the tens of billions of

Check the latest list with recent car recalls. If you own one of the following models, make sure to get car insurance quotes. Nissan recalls Versa to fix suspension prone to corrosion from road salt. Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 218,019 Versa vehicles in the United States to fix a front suspension problem. The company notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that road salt can corrode the front coil springs, possibly leading to fractures. Coil spring

With free quotes on car insurance, you can get easy and quick access to the type of auto insurance policy that fits your needs. Having auto insurance is not only required by law, but having it gives you the obvious advantage of not having to pay for car repairs in case an accident happens. And it is preferable to have a safety net just in case such repairs need to be done, since they can

With so many free online car insurance quotes, it might seem that finding the right policy can be a really difficult task. This is true when it comes to comparing quotes on comprehensive auto insurance. Although its name might suggest otherwise, comprehensive auto insurance does not offer you coverage for any situation. Comprehensive car insurance is also known as “other than collision” coverage, because it is intended to cover damage to the vehicle which is

An online auto insurance quote is an excellent tool when it comes to finding an auto insurance policy that is neither too expensive nor ineffective. After all, “cheap” often means less effectiveness and lower quality, and nobody wants to get ripped off even if it means paying less. So the question is: how to find a better deal by using online car insurance quotes, without making any costly mistakes? With car insurance rate comparison you

When you get car insurance quote comparison, you can get easy and quick access to the type of auto insurance policy that fits your needs. Most people prefer to compare quotes online, however some people prefer auto insurance agents. Local insurance agents have a bit longer of a quoting process than online quotes. Local agents are basically a middle man so they need to collect your information, collect quotes from different companies then get a hold of

By using a free car insurance quote, a person seeking for the auto insurance policy that fits his or her needs best will gain many important advantages. Along with the obvious relief from the stress and hassle of having to call insurance companies or to consult an insurance agent or broker, online insurance quotes will present you with a valuable insight into the specifics of the auto insurance market. When your choice is using auto

When it comes to automobile insurance, it is understandable why most people are looking for one way or another of saving money on their rates. However, finding ways to save money for auto insurance is much easier when you are better informed. With auto insurance online quotes, finding the best policy for the best price is very easy. By purchasing a car insurance policy online, people get to know the auto insurance market better, because

Finding the right kind of auto insurance policy is something that may seem easy at first, but in reality the insurance needs of each person can vary in such a way that it might become somewhat of a headache. That is why free car insurance quotes exist, to ease the process of finding the right type of policy for everyone’s needs. However, one must make sure that he or she does not have medical conditions

Comparing free car insurance quotes is an excellent way of getting a proper auto insurance policy which is catered to your specific needs. The auto insurance market is very diverse, and while that means a lot of different policies to choose from, the sheer number of available choices might make you feel a bit confused. That is why an auto insurance comparison tool is so important. However, if you prefer auto insurance agents, you have

With car insurance being so widely required these days, many people are getting confused when it comes to the conditions in which claims can be made on their insurance policies. After all, they might make a mistake without having proper information. But with driving and owning a car comes much responsibility, and knowing when to make a claim or not is very important. And with an auto insurance online quote, you will get the best

In today’s world, having or driving a car is something most people consider to be a necessary part of life. With driving a car, though, come big responsibilities, and this is where auto insurance steps in. If you get a car insurance quote, you will have access to the best car insurance policies on the market. After deciding which one is best, you will get on with the actual purchase. And some consumers will probably

The fact that auto insurance is a must-have these days in the United States does not change the fact that it tends to be quite expensive. It is these troubled economic times that only help to highlight the importance of lowering auto insurance rates, and with free quotes on car insurance, the means to do just that is available to a wide range of people. Here are a few useful tips to help you lower

Nobody likes to be scammed and lose a lot of money. And you would be surprised by the methods and techniques used by crooks to fool you and convince you to pump money into their pockets Auto insurance scams are one of the most elaborate ones and usually involves many persons pretending to be someone else. You can get cheap car insurance, but only from well-established, reputable companies. Read our blog and find out how

Everybody wants to get a low cost car insurance policy. Free online car insurance quotes will help you find the policy you want. There are many ways to find reasonable prices on automobile insurance. Compare Rates for Various Cars. Once you have identified two or three cars that you think you can afford and will fulfill your needs, call your current insurance (or a new insurance company) to compare premiums for the cars. Car insurance

Check our list with the newest systems and safety devices that can help you lower car insurance rates. Buy them and get a low cost auto insurance. Pre-safe In the event of potential collision due to emergency brake application, skidding and heavy oversteer or understeer, PRE-SAFE prepares passengers for collision by pre-tensioning the safety belt tensioners while passenger seats and backrests are moved into a safe position and, in addition, closes the sunroof (provided

Check our guide for reviewing a car insurance agency. Read it and find out how to get reliable and cheap car insurance. First, visit your state’s department of insurance Web site. Although you may not be familiar with it, your state, and every state, has a department of insurance. Most departments have Web sites, and many publish “consumer complaint ratios” for all of the insurance companies that sell policies in their state. This ratio tells you

When it comes to paying for damage to your own vehicle, the major line of defense against auto accidents is collision coverage. Many drivers are convinced they’ll never wreck their own vehicle, or that they’ll never be involved in an accident and they opt for cheapest car insurance policy or no policy at all. But statistics show that the typical driver in the U.S. will be involved in an accident once every ten years. To be sure,

Owning a car is pretty much an inevitable requirement of modern day life, especially if you live in the United States. And an inescapable requirement of owning and driving a car is that you need to have auto insurance. A minimum amount of basic auto insurance is mandatory by most states. But the auto insurance market is very diverse and quite intricate, and without proper information it can be quite hard to find a trustworthy

Check our list with factors and basic information needed for accurate car insurance quotes: Car make and model. This info is extremely important for any insurer as it will search for statistics related to the vehicle you want to insure. It will search for vehicle’s safety rating and if there are known malfunctions to it. You can select the model of the car from a hidden list when filling in the submit form. Typically, this

Check our list with 5 usual errors done when comparing online auto insurance quotes: Providing wrong info about the car. Insurance companies need to know exact data about your car, more exactly the model and the make. Usually you can provide these details accurately, selecting the car from a drop-down list, thus avoid misspelling mistakes. Still, be careful when making the selections, otherwise you will get the wrong quotes. Providing bad approximations. Besides providing accurate

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Glossary of Insurance Terms

No insurance resource would be complete without a comprehensive glossary of terms. We've compiled a list of terms and their definitions to better help you navigate the sometimes confusing world of insurance.

Acceleration Clause - The part of a contract that says when a loan may be declared due and payable.

Accidental Death Benefit - In a life insurance policy, benefit in addition to the death benefit paid to the beneficiary, should death occur due to an accident. There can be certain exclusions as well as time and age limits.

Active Participant - Person whose absence from a planned event would trigger a benefit if the event needs to be canceled or postponed.

Activities of Daily Living - Bathing, preparing and eating meals, moving from room to room, getting into and out of beds or chairs, dressing, using a toilet.

Actual Cash Value - Cost of replacing damaged or destroyed property with comparable new property, minus depreciation and obsolescence. For example, a 10-year-old sofa will not be replaced at current full value because of a decade of depreciation.

Actuary - A specialist in the mathematics of insurance who calculates rates, reserves, dividends and other statistics. (Americanism: In most other countries the individual is known as "mathematician.")

Adjustable Rate - An interest rate that changes, based on changes in a published market-rate index.

Adjuster - A representative of the insurer who seeks to determine the extent of the insurer's liability for loss when a claim is submitted.

Admitted Assets - Assets permitted by state law to be included in an insurance company's annual statement. These assets are an important factor when regulators measure insurance company solvency. They include mortgages, stocks, bonds and real estate.

Agent -individual who sells and services insurance policies in either of two classifications:

Independent agent represents at least two insurance companies and (at least in theory) services clients by searching the market for the most advantageous price for the most coverage. The agent's commission is a percentage of each premium paid and includes a fee for servicing the insured's policy.

Direct or career agent represents only one company and sells only its policies. This agent is paid on a commission basis in much the same manner as the independent agent.

Aggregate Limit - Usually refers to liability insurance and indicates the amount of coverage that the insured has under the contract for a specific period of time, usually the contract period, no matter how many separate accidents might occur.

Annual Crediting Cap - The maximum rate that the equity-indexed annuity can be credited in a year. If a contract has an upper limit, or cap, of 7 percent and the index linked to the annuity gained 7.2 percent, only 7 percent would be credited to the annuity.

Annuitization - Process by which you convert part or all of the money in a qualified retirement plan or nonqualified annuity contract into a stream of regular income payments, either for your lifetime or the lifetimes of you and your joint annuitant. Once you choose to annuitize, the payment schedule and the amount is generally fixed and can't be altered.

Annuitization Options - Choices in the way to annuitize. For example, life with a 10-year period certain means payouts will last a lifetime, but should the annuitant die during the first 10 years, the payments will continue to beneficiaries through the 10th year. Selection of such an option reduces the amount of the periodic payment.

Annuity - An agreement by an insurer to make periodic payments that continue during the survival of the annuitant(s) or for a specified period.

Approved for Reinsurance - Indicates the company is approved (or authorized) to write reinsurance on risks in this state. A license to write reinsurance might not be required in these states.

Approved or Not Disapproved for Surplus Lines - Indicates the company is approved (or not disapproved) to write excess or surplus lines in this state.

Assets - Assets refer to "all the available properties of every kind or possession of an insurance company that might be used to pay its debts." There are three classifications of assets: invested assets, all other assets, and total admitted assets. Invested assets refer to things such as bonds, stocks, cash and income-producing real estate. All other assets refer to nonincome producing possessions such as the building the company occupies, office furniture, and debts owed, usually in the form of deferred and unpaid premiums. Total admitted assets refer to everything a company owns. All other plus invested assets equals total admitted assets. By law, some states don't permit insurance companies to claim certain goods and possessions, such as deferred and unpaid premiums, in the all other assets category, declaring them "nonadmissable."

Attained Age - Insured's age at a particular time. For example, many term life insurance policies allow an insured to convert to permanent insurance without a physical examination at the insured's then attained age. Upon conversion, the premium usually rises substantially to reflect the insured's age and diminished life expectancy.

Balance Sheet - An accounting term referring to a listing of a company's assets, liabilities and surplus as of a specific date.

Benefit Period - In health insurance, the number of days for which benefits are paid to the named insured and his or her dependents. For example, the number of days that benefits are calculated for a calendar year consist of the days beginning on Jan. 1 and ending on Dec. 31 of each year.

Best's Capital Adequacy Relativity (BCAR) - This percentage measures a company's relative capital strength compared to its industry peer composite. A company's BCAR, which is an important component in determining the appropriateness of its rating, is calculated by dividing a company's capital adequacy ratio by the capital adequacy ratio of the median of its industry peer composite using Best's proprietary capital mode. Capital adequacy ratios are calculated as the net required capital necessary to support components of underwriting, asset, and credit risks in relation to economic surplus.

Broker - Insurance salesperson that searches the marketplace in the interest of clients, not insurance companies.

Broker-Agent - Independent insurance salesperson who represents particular insurers but also might function as a broker by searching the entire insurance market to place an applicant's coverage to maximize protection and minimize cost. This person is licensed as an agent and a broker.

Business Net Retention - This item represents the percentage of a company's gross writings that are retained for its own account. Gross writings are the sum of direct writings and assumed writings. This measure excludes affiliated writings.

Capital - Equity of shareholders of a stock insurance company. The company's capital and surplus are measured by the difference between its assets minus its liabilities. This value protects the interests of the company's policyowners in the event it develops financial problems; the policyowners' benefits are thus protected by the insurance company's capital. Shareholders' interest is second to that of policyowners.

Capitalization or Leverage - Measures the exposure of a company's surplus to various operating and financial practices. A highly leveraged, or poorly capitalized, company can show a high return on surplus, but might be exposed to a high risk of instability.

Captive Agent - Representative of a single insurer or fleet of insurers who is obliged to submit business only to that company, or at the very minimum, give that company first refusal rights on a sale. In exchange, that insurer usually provides its captive agents with an allowance for office expenses as well as an extensive list of employee benefits such as pensions, life insurance, health insurance, and credit unions.

Casualty Insurance - That type of insurance that is primarily concerned with losses caused by injuries to persons and legal liability imposed upon the insured for such injury or for damage to property of others. It also includes such diverse forms as plate glass, insurance against crime, such as robbery, burglary and forgery, boiler and machinery insurance and Aviation insurance. Many casualty companies also write surety business.

Ceded Reinsurance Leverage - The ratio of the reinsurance premiums ceded, plus net ceded reinsurance balances from non-US affiliates for paid losses, unpaid losses, incurred but not reported (IBNR), unearned premiums and commissions, less funds held from reinsurers, plus ceded reinsurance balances payable, to policyholders' surplus. This ratio measures the company's dependence upon the security provided by its reinsurers and its potential exposure to adjustment on such reinsurance.

Change in Net Premiums Written (IRIS) - The annual percentage change in Net Premiums Written. A company should demonstrate its ability to support controlled business growth with quality surplus growth from strong internal capital generation.

Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) -Professional designation earned after the successful completion of 10 national examinations given by the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters. Covers such areas of expertise as insurance, risk management, economics, finance, management, accounting, and law. Three years of work experience also are required in the insurance business or a related area.

Claim - A demand made by the insured, or the insured's beneficiary, for payment of the benefits as provided by the policy.

Coinsurance - In property insurance, requires the policyholder to carry insurance equal to a specified percentage of the value of property to receive full payment on a loss. For health insurance, it is a percentage of each claim above the deductible paid by the policyholder. For a 20% health insurance coinsurance clause, the policyholder pays for the deductible plus 20% of his covered losses. After paying 80% of losses up to a specified ceiling, the insurer starts paying 100% of losses.

Collision Insurance - Covers physical damage to the insured's automobile (other than that covered under comprehensive insurance) resulting from contact with another inanimate object.

Combined Ratio After Policyholder Dividends - The sum of the loss, expense and policyholder dividend ratios not reflecting investment income or income taxes. This ratio measures the company's overall underwriting profitability, and a combined ratio of less than 100 indicates an underwriting profit.

Commission - Fee paid to an agent or insurance salesperson as a percentage of the policy premium. The percentage varies widely depending on coverage, the insurer and the marketing methods.

Common Carrier - A business or agency that is available to the public for transportation of persons, goods or messages. Common carriers include trucking companies, bus lines and airlines.

Comprehensive Insurance - Auto insurance coverage providing protection in the event of physical damage (other than collision) or theft of the insured car. For example, fire damage or a cracked windshield would be covered under the comprehensive section.

Concurrent Periods - In hospital income protection, when a patient is confined to a hospital due to more than one injury and/or illness at the same time, benefits are paid as if the total disability resulted from only one cause.

Conditional Reserves - This item represents the aggregate of various reserves which, for technical reasons, are treated by companies as liabilities. Such reserves, which are similar to free resources or surplus, include unauthorized reinsurance, excess of statutory loss reserves over statement reserves, dividends to policyholders undeclared and other similar reserves established voluntarily or in compliance with statutory regulations.

Coverage - The scope of protection provided under an insurance policy. In property insurance, coverage lists perils insured against, properties covered, locations covered, individuals insured, and the limits of indemnification. In life insurance, living and death benefits are listed.

Convertible - Term life insurance coverage that can be converted into permanent insurance regardless of an insured's physical condition and without a medical examination. The individual cannot be denied coverage or charged an additional premium for any health problems.

Copayment - A predetermined, flat fee an individual pays for health-care services, in addition to what insurance covers. For example, some HMOs require a $10 copayment for each office visit, regardless of the type or level of services provided during the visit. Copayments are not usually specified by percentages.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) - Automatic adjustment applied to Social Security retirement payments when the consumer price index increases at a rate of at least 3%, the first quarter of one year to the first quarter of the next year.

Coverage Area - The geographic region covered by travel insurance.

Creditable Coverage - Term means that benefits provided by other drug plans are at least as good as those provided by the new Medicare Part D program. This may be important to people eligible for Medicare Part D but who do not sign up at their first opportunity because if the other plans provide creditable coverage, plan members can later convert to Medicare Part D without paying higher premiums than those in effect during their open enrollment period.

Current Liquidity (IRIS) - The sum of cash, unaffiliated invested assets and encumbrances on other properties to net liabilities plus ceded reinsurance balances payable, expressed as a percent. This ratio measures the proportion of liabilities covered by unencumbered cash and unaffiliated investments. If this ratio is less than 100, the company's solvency is dependent on the collectibility or marketability of premium balances and investments in affiliates. This ratio assumes the collectibility of all amounts recoverable from reinsurers on paid and unpaid losses and unearned premiums.

Death Benefit - The limit of insurance or the amount of benefit that will be paid in the event of the death of a covered person.

Deductible - Amount of loss that the insured pays before the insurance kicks in.

Developed to Net Premiums Earned - The ratio of developed premiums through the year to net premiums earned. If premium growth was relatively steady, and the mix of business by line didn't materially change, this ratio measures whether or not a company's loss reserves are keeping pace with premium growth.

Development to Policyholder Surplus (IRIS) - The ratio measures reserve deficiency or redundancy in relation to policyholder surplus. This ratio reflects the degree to which year-end surplus was either overstated (+) or understated (-) in each of the past several years, if original reserves had been restated to reflect subsequent development through year end.

Direct Premiums Written - The aggregate amount of recorded originated premiums, other than reinsurance, written during the year, whether collected or not, at the close of the year, plus retrospective audit premium collections, after deducting all return premiums.

Direct Writer - An insurer whose distribution mechanism is either the direct selling system or the exclusive agency system.

Disease Management - A system of coordinated health-care interventions and communications for patients with certain illnesses.

Dividend - The return of part of the policy's premium for a policy issued on a participating basis by either a mutual or stock insurer. A portion of the surplus paid to the stockholders of a corporation.

Earned Premium - The amount of the premium that as been paid for in advance that has been "earned" by virtue of the fact that time has passed without claim. A three-year policy that has been paid in advance and is one year old would have only partly earned the premium.

Elimination Period - The time which must pass after filing a claim before policyholder can collect insurance benefits. Also known as "waiting period."

Employers Liability Insurance - Coverage against common law liability of an employer for accidents to employees, as distinguished from liability imposed by a workers' compensation law.

Encumbrance - A claim on property, such as a mortgage, a lien for work and materials, or a right of dower. The interest of the property owner is reduced by the amount of the encumbrance.

Exclusions - Items or conditions that are not covered by the general insurance contract.

Expense Ratio - The ratio of underwriting expenses (including commissions) to net premiums written. This ratio measures the company's operational efficiency in underwriting its book of business.

Exposure - Measure of vulnerability to loss, usually expressed in dollars or units.

File-and-Use Rating Laws - State-based laws which permit insurers to adopt new rates without the prior approval of the insurance department. Usually insurers submit their new rates with supporting statistical data.

Financing Entity - Provides money for purchases.

Floater - A separate policy available to cover the value of goods beyond the coverage of a standard renters insurance policy including movable property such as jewelry or sports equipment.

Future Purchase Option - Life and health insurance provisions that guarantee the insured the right to buy additional coverage without proving insurability. Also known as "guaranteed insurability option."

General Account - All premiums are paid into an insurer's general account. Thus, buyers are subject to credit-risk exposure to the insurance company, which is low but not zero.

General Liability Insurance -Insurance designed to protect business owners and operators from a wide variety of liability exposures. Exposures could include liability arising from accidents resulting from the insured's premises or operations, products sold by the insured, operations completed by the insured, and contractual liability.

Grace Period - The length of time (usually 31 days) after a premium is due and unpaid during which the policy, including all riders, remains in force. If a premium is paid during the grace period, the premium is considered to have been paid on time. In Universal Life policies, it typically provides for coverage to remain in force for 60 days following the date cash value becomes insufficient to support the payment of monthly insurance costs.

Gross Leverage - The sum of net leverage and ceded reinsurance leverage. This ratio measures a company's gross exposure to pricing errors in its current book of business, to errors of estimating its liabilities, and exposure to its reinsurers.

Guaranteed Insurability Option - See "future purchase option."

Guaranteed Issue Right - The right to purchase insurance without physical examination; the present and past physical condition of the applicant are not considered.

Guaranteed Renewable - A policy provision in many products which guarantees the policyowner the right to renew coverage at every policy anniversary date. The company does not have the right to cancel coverage except for nonpayment of premiums by the policyowner; however, the company can raise rates if they choose.

Guaranty Association - An organization of life insurance companies within a state responsible for covering the financial obligations of a member company that becomes insolvent.

Hazard - A circumstance that increases the likelihood or probable severity of a loss. For example, the storing of explosives in a home basement is a hazard that increases the probability of an explosion.

Hazardous Activity - Bungee jumping, scuba diving, horse riding and other activities not generally covered by standard insurance policies. For insurers that do provide cover for such activities, it is unlikely they will cover liability and personal accident, which should be provided by the company hosting the activity.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) - Prepaid group health insurance plan that entitles members to services of participating physicians, hospitals and clinics. Emphasis is on preventative medicine, and members must use contracted health-care providers.

Health Reimbursement Arrangement - Owners of high-deductible health plans who are not qualified for a health savings account can use an HRA.

Health Savings Account - Plan that allows you to contribute pre-tax money to be used for qualified medical expenses. HSAs, which are portable, must be linked to a high-deductible health insurance policy.

Hurricane Deductible - Amount you must pay out-of-pocket before hurricane insurance will kick in. Many insurers in hurricane-prone states are selling homeowners insurance policies with percentage deductibles for storm damage, instead of the traditional dollar deductibles used for claims such as fire and theft. Percentage deductibles vary from one percent of a home's insured value to 15 percent, depending on many factors that differ by state and insurer.

Impaired Insurer - An insurer which is in financial difficulty to the point where its ability to meet financial obligations or regulatory requirements is in question.

Indemnity - Restoration to the victim of a loss by payment, repair or replacement.

Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) - Formerly the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA), this is a member organization of independent agents and brokers monitoring and affecting industry issues. Numerous state associations are affiliated with the IIABA.

Income Taxes - Incurred income taxes (including income taxes on capital gains) reported in each annual statement for that year.

Inflation Protection - An optional property coverage endorsement offered by some insurers that increases the policy's limits of insurance during the policy term to keep pace with inflation.

Insurable Interest - Interest in property such that loss or destruction of the property could cause a financial loss.

Insurance Adjuster - A representative of the insurer who seeks to determine the extent of the insurer's liability for loss when a claim is submitted. Independent insurance adjusters are hired by insurance companies on an "as needed" basis and might work for several insurance companies at the same time. Independent adjusters charge insurance companies both by the hour and by miles traveled. Public adjusters work for the insured in the settlement of claims and receive a percentage of the claim as their fee. A.M. Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys and Adjusters lists independent adjusters only.

Insurance Attorneys - An attorney who practices the law as it relates to insurance matters. Attorneys might be solo practitioners or work as part of a law firm. Insurance companies who retain attorneys to defend them against law suits might hire staff attorneys to work for them in-house or they might retain attorneys on an as-needed basis. A.M. Best's Directory of Recommended Attorneys and Adjusters lists insurance defense attorneys who concentrate their practice in insurance defense such as coverage issues, bad faith, malpractice, products liability, and workers' compensation.

Insurance Institute of America (IIA) - An organization which develops programs and conducts national examinations in general insurance, risk management, management, adjusting, underwriting, auditing and loss control management.

Interest-Crediting Methods - There are at least 35 interest-crediting methods that insurers use. They usually involve some combination of point-to-point, annual reset, yield spread, averaging, or high water mark.

Investment Income - The return received by insurers from their investment portfolios including interest, dividends and realized capital gains on stocks. It doesn't include the value of any stocks or bonds that the company currently owns.

Laddering - Purchasing bond investments that mature at different time intervals.

Lapse Ratio - The ratio of the number of life insurance policies that lapsed within a given period to the number in force at the beginning of that period.

Least Expensive Alternative Treatment - The amount an insurance company will pay based on its determination of cost for a particular procedure.

Leverage or Capitalization - Measures the exposure of a company's surplus to various operating and financial practices. A highly leveraged, or poorly capitalized, company can show a high return on surplus, but might be exposed to a high risk of instability.

Liability - Broadly, any legally enforceable obligation. The term is most commonly used in a pecuniary sense.

Liability Insurance - Insurance that pays and renders service on behalf of an insured for loss arising out of his responsibility, due to negligence, to others imposed by law or assumed by contract.

Licensed - Indicates the company is incorporated (or chartered) in another state but is a licensed (admitted) insurer for this state to write specific lines of business for which it qualifies.

Licensed for Reinsurance Only - Indicates the company is a licensed (admitted) insurer to write reinsurance on risks in this state.

Lifetime Reserve Days - Sixty additional days Medicare pays for when you are hospitalized for more than 90 days in a benefit period. These days can only be used once during your lifetime. For each lifetime reserve day, Medicare pays all covered costs except for a daily coinsurance amount.

Liquidity - Liquidity is the ability of an individual or business to quickly convert assets into cash without incurring a considerable loss. There are two kinds of liquidity: quick and current. Quick liquidity refers to funds--cash, short-term investments, and government bonds--and possessions which can immediately be converted into cash in the case of an emergency. Current liquidity refers to current liquidity plus possessions such as real estate which cannot be immediately liquidated, but eventually can be sold and converted into cash. Quick liquidity is a subset of current liquidity. This reflects the financial stability of a company and thus their rating.

Living Benefits - This feature allows you, under certain circumstances, to receive the proceeds of your life insurance policy before you die. Such circumstances include terminal or catastrophic illness, the need for long-term care, or confinement to a nursing home. Also known as "accelerated death benefits."

Lloyd's - Generally refers to Lloyd's of London, England, an institution within which individual underwriters accept or reject the risks offered to them. The Lloyd's Corp. provides the support facility for their activities.

Lloyds Organizations - These organizations are voluntary unincorporated associations of individuals. Each individual assumes a specified portion of the liability under each policy issued. The underwriters operate through a common attorney-in-fact appointed for this purpose by the underwriters. The laws of most states contain some provisions governing the formation and operation of such organizations, but these laws don't generally provide as strict a supervision and control as the laws dealing with incorporated stock and mutual insurance companies.

Loss and Loss-Adjustment Reserves to Policyholder Surplus Ratio - The higher the multiple of loss reserves to surplus, the more a company's solvency is dependent upon having and maintaining reserve adequacy.

Losses and Loss-Adjustment Expenses - This represents the total reserves for unpaid losses and loss-adjustment expenses, including reserves for any incurred but not reported losses, and supplemental reserves established by the company. It is the total for all lines of business and all accident years.

Loss Control - All methods taken to reduce the frequency and/or severity of losses including exposure avoidance, loss prevention, loss reduction, segregation of exposure units and noninsurance transfer of risk. A combination of risk control techniques with risk financing techniques forms the nucleus of a risk management program. The use of appropriate insurance, avoidance of risk, loss control, risk retention, self insuring, and other techniques that minimize the risks of a business, individual, or organization.

Loss Ratio - The ratio of incurred losses and loss-adjustment expenses to net premiums earned. This ratio measures the company's underlying profitability, or loss experience, on its total book of business.

Loss Reserve - The estimated liability, as it would appear in an insurer's financial statement, for unpaid insurance claims or losses that have occurred as of a given evaluation date. Usually includes losses incurred but not reported (IBNR), losses due but not yet paid, and amounts not yet due. For individual claims, the loss reserve is the estimate of what will ultimately be paid out on that claim.

Losses Incurred (Pure Losses) - Net paid losses during the current year plus the change in loss reserves since the prior year end.

Member Month - Total number of health plan participants who are members for each month.

Mortality and Expense Risk Fees - A charge that covers such annuity contract guarantees as death benefits.

Mortgage Insurance Policy - In life and health insurance, a policy covering a mortgagor with benefits intended to pay off the balance due on a mortgage upon the insured's death, or to meet the payments due on a mortgage in case of the insured's death or disability.

Mutual Insurance Companies - Companies with no capital stock, and owned by policyholders. The earnings of the company--over and above the payments of the losses, operating expenses and reserves--are the property of the policyholders. There are two types of mutual insurance companies. A nonassessable mutual charges a fixed premium and the policyholders cannot be assessed further. Legal reserves and surplus are maintained to provide payment of all claims. Assessable mutuals are companies that charge an initial fixed premium and, if that isn't sufficient, might assess policyholders to meet losses in excess of the premiums that have been charged.

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) - Association of state insurance commissioners whose purpose is to promote uniformity of insurance regulation, monitor insurance solvency and develop model laws for passage by state legislatures.

Net Income - The total after-tax earnings generated from operations and realized capital gains as reported in the company's NAIC annual statement on page 4, line 16.

Net Investment Income - This item represents investment income earned during the year less investment expenses and depreciation on real estate. Investment expenses are the expenses related to generating investment income and capital gains but exclude income taxes.

Net Leverage - The sum of a company's net premium written to policyholder surplus and net liabilities to policyholder surplus. This ratio measures the combination of a company's net exposure to pricing errors in its current book of business and errors of estimation in its net liabilities after reinsurance, in relation to policyholder surplus.

Net Liabilities to Policyholder Surplus - Net liabilities expressed as a ratio to policyholder surplus. Net liabilities equal total liabilities less conditional reserves, plus encumbrances on real estate, less the smaller of receivables from or payable to affiliates. This ratio measures company's exposures to errors of estimation in its loss reserves and all other liabilities. Loss-reserve leverage is generally the key component of net liability leverage. The higher the loss-reserve leverage the more critical a company's solvency depends upon maintaining reserve adequacy.

Net Premium - The amount of premium minus the agent's commission. Also, the premium necessary to cover only anticipated losses, before loading to cover other expenses.

Net Premiums Earned - The adjustment of net premiums written for the increase or decrease of the company's liability for unearned premiums during the year. When an insurance company's business increases from year to year, the earned premiums will usually be less than the written premiums. With the increased volume, the premiums are considered fully paid at the inception of the policy so that, at the end of a calendar period, the company must set up premiums representing the unexpired terms of the policies. On a decreasing volume, the reverse is true.

Nonstandard Auto (High Risk Auto or Substandard Auto) - Insurance for motorists who have poor driving records or have been canceled or refused insurance. The premium is much higher than standard auto due to the additional risks.

Net Premiums Written to Policyholder Surplus (IRIS) - This ratio measures a company's net retained premiums written after reinsurance assumed and ceded, in relation to its surplus. This ratio measures the company's exposure to pricing errors in its current book of business.

Non-Recourse Mortgage - A home loan in which the borrower can never owe more than the home's value at the time the loan is repaid.

Noncancellable - Contract terms, including costs that can never be changed.

Occurrence - An event that results in an insured loss. In some lines of business, such as liability, an occurrence is distinguished from accident in that the loss doesn't have to be sudden and fortuitous and can result from continuous or repeated exposure which results in bodily injury or property damage neither expected not intended by the insured.

Operating Cash Flow - Measures the funds generated from insurance operations, which includes the change in cash and invested assets attributed to underwriting activities, net investment income and federal income taxes. This measure excludes stockholder dividends, capital contributions, unrealized capital gains/losses and various noninsurance related transactions with affiliates. This test measures a company's ability to meet current obligations through the internal generation of funds from insurance operations. Negative balances might indicate unprofitable underwriting results or low yielding assets.

Operating Ratio (IRIS) - Combined ratio less the net investment income ratio (net investment income to net premiums earned). The operating ratio measures a company's overall operational profitability from underwriting and investment activities. This ratio doesn't reflect other operating income/expenses, capital gains or income taxes. An operating ratio of more than 100 indicates a company is unable to generate profits from its underwriting and investment activities.

Other Income/Expenses - This item represents miscellaneous sources of operating income or expenses that principally relate to premium finance income or charges for uncollectible premium and reinsurance business.

Out-of-Pocket Limit - A predetermined amount of money that an individual must pay before insurance will pay 100% for an individual's health-care expenses.

Overall Liquidity Ratio - Total admitted assets divided by total liabilities less conditional reserves. This ratio indicates a company's ability to cover net liabilities with total assets. This ratio doesn't address the quality and marketability of premium balances, affiliated investments and other uninvested assets.

Own Occupation - Insurance contract provision that allows policyholders to collect benefits if they can no longer work in their own occupation.

Paid-Up Additional Insurance - An option that allows the policyholder to use policy dividends and/or additional premiums to buy additional insurance on the same plan as the basic policy and at a face amount determined by the insured's attained age.

Participation Rate - In equity-indexed annuities, a participation rate determines how much of the gain in the index will be credited to the annuity. For example, the insurance company may set the participation rate at 80%, which means the annuity would only be credited with 80% of the gain experienced by the index.

Peril - The cause of a possible loss.

Personal Injury Protection - Pays basic expenses for an insured and his or her family in states with no-fault auto insurance. No-fault laws generally require drivers to carry both liability insurance and personal injury protection coverage to pay for basic needs of the insured, such as medical expenses, in the event of an accident.

Personal Lines - Insurance for individuals and families, such as private-passenger auto and homeowners insurance.

Point-of-Service Plan - Health insurance policy that allows the employee to choose between in-network and out-of-network care each time medical treatment is needed.

Policy - The written contract effecting insurance, or the certificate thereof, by whatever name called, and including all clause, riders, endorsements, and papers attached thereto and made a part thereof.

Policyholder Surplus - The sum of paid in capital, paid in and contributed surplus, and net earned surplus, including voluntary contingency reserves. It also is the difference between total admitted assets and total liabilities.

Policy or Sales Illustration - Material used by an agent and insurer to show how a policy may perform under a variety of conditions and over a number of years.

Pre-Existing Condition - A coverage limitation included in many health policies which states that certain physical or mental conditions, either previously diagnosed or which would normally be expected to require treatment prior to issue, will not be covered under the new policy for a specified period of time.

Preferred Auto - Auto coverage for drivers who have never had an accident and operates vehicles according to law. Drivers are not a risk for any insurance company that writes auto insurance, and no insurance company would be afraid to take them on as risk.

Preferred Provider Organization - Network of medical providers who charge on a fee-for-service basis, but are paid on a negotiated, discounted fee schedule.

Premium - The price of insurance protection for a specified risk for a specified period of time.

Premium Balances - Premiums and agents' balances in course of collection; premiums, agents' balances and installments booked but deferred and not yet due; bills receivable, taken for premiums and accrued retrospective premiums.

Premium Earned - The amount of the premium that as been paid for in advance that has been "earned" by virtue of the fact that time has passed without claim. A three-year policy that has been paid in advance and is one year old would have only partly earned the premium.

Premium to Surplus Ratio - This ratio is designed to measure the ability of the insurer to absorb above-average losses and the insurer's financial strength. The ratio is computed by dividing net premiums written by surplus. An insurance company's surplus is the amount by which assets exceed liabilities. The ratio is computed by dividing net premiums written by surplus. For example, a company with $2 in net premiums written for every $1 of surplus has a 2-to-1 premium to surplus ratio. The lower the ratio, the greater the company's financial strength. State regulators have established a premium-to-surplus ratio of no higher than 3-to-1 as a guideline.

Premium Unearned - That part of the premium applicable to the unexpired part of the policy period.

Pretax Operating Income - Pretax operating earnings before any capital gains generated from underwriting, investment and other miscellaneous operating sources.

Pretax Return on Revenue - A measure of a company's operating profitability and is calculated by dividing pretax operating earnings by net premiums earned.

Private-Passenger Auto Insurance Policyholder Risk Profile - This refers to the risk profile of auto insurance policyholders and can be divided into three categories: standard, nonstandard and preferred. In the eyes of an insurance company, it is the type of business (or the quality of driver) that the company has chosen to taken on.

Profit - A measure of the competence and ability of management to provide viable insurance products at competitive prices and maintain a financially strong company for both policyholders and stockholders.

Protected Cell Company (PCC) - A PCC is a single legal entity that operates segregated accounts, or cells, each of which is legally protected from the liabilities of the company's other accounts. An individual client's account is insulated from the gains and losses of other accounts, such that the PCC sponsor and each client are protected against liquidation activities by creditors in the event of insolvency of another client.

Qualified High-Deductible Health Plan - A health plan with lower premiums that covers health-care expenses only after the insured has paid each year a large amount out of pocket or from another source. To qualify as a health plan coupled with a Health Savings Account, the Internal Revenue Code requires the deductible to be at least $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family. High-deductible plans are also known as catastrophic plans.

Qualified Versus Non-Qualified Policies - Qualified plans are those employee benefit plans that meet Internal Revenue Service requirements as stated in IRS Code Section 401a. When a plan is approved, contributions made by the employer are tax deductible expenses.

Qualifying Event - An occurrence that triggers an insured's protection.

Quick Assets - Assets that are quickly convertible into cash.

Quick Liquidity Ratio - Quick assets divided by net liabilities plus ceded reinsurance balances payable. Quick assets are defined as the sum of cash, unaffiliated short-term investments, unaffiliated bonds maturing within one year, government bonds maturing within five years, and 80% of unaffiliated common stocks. These assets can be quickly converted into cash in the case of an emergency.

Reciprocal Insurance Exchange - An unincorporated groups of individuals, firms or corporations, commonly termed subscribers, who mutually insure one another, each separately assuming his or her share of each risk. Its chief administrator is an attorney-in-fact.

Re-Entry - Re-entry, which is the allowance for level-premium term policyowners to qualify for another level-premium period, generally with new evidence of insurability.

Reinsurance - In effect, insurance that an insurance company buys for its own protection. The risk of loss is spread so a disproportionately large loss under a single policy doesn't fall on one company. Reinsurance enables an insurance company to expand its capacity; stabilize its underwriting results; finance its expanding volume; secure catastrophe protection against shock losses; withdraw from a line of business or a geographical area within a specified time period.

Reinsurance Ceded - The unit of insurance transferred to a reinsurer by a ceding company.

Reinsurance Recoverables to Policyholder Surplus - Measures a company's dependence upon its reinsurers and the potential exposure to adjustments on such reinsurance. Its determined from the total ceded reinsurance recoverables due from non-U.S. affiliates for paid losses, unpaid losses, losses incurred but not reported (IBNR), unearned premiums and commissions less funds held from reinsurers expressed as a percent of policyholder surplus.

Renewal - The automatic re-establishment of in-force status effected by the payment of another premium.

Replacement Cost - The dollar amount needed to replace damaged personal property or dwelling property without deducting for depreciation but limited by the maximum dollar amount shown on the declarations page of the policy.

Reserve - An amount representing actual or potential liabilities kept by an insurer to cover debts to policyholders. A reserve is usually treated as a liability.

Residual Benefit - In disability insurance, a benefit paid when you suffer a loss of income due to a covered disability or if loss of income persists. This benefit is based on a formula specified in your policy and it is generally a percentage of the full benefit. It may be paid up to the maximum benefit period.

Return on Policyholder Surplus (Return on Equity) - The sum of after-tax net income and unrealized capital gains, to the mean of prior and current year-end policyholder surplus, expressed as a percent. This ratio measures a company's overall after-tax profitability from underwriting and investment activity.

Risk Class - Risk class, in insurance underwriting, is a grouping of insureds with a similar level of risk. Typical underwriting classifications are preferred, standard and substandard, smoking and nonsmoking, male and female.

Risk Management - Management of the pure risks to which a company might be subject. It involves analyzing all exposures to the possibility of loss and determining how to handle these exposures through practices such as avoiding the risk, retaining the risk, reducing the risk, or transferring the risk, usually by insurance.

Risk Retention Groups - Liability insurance companies owned by their policyholders. Membership is limited to people in the same business or activity, which exposes them to similar liability risks. The purpose is to assume and spread liability exposure to group members and to provide an alternative risk financing mechanism for liability. These entities are formed under the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986. Under law, risk retention groups are precluded from writing certain coverages, most notably property lines and workers' compensation. They predominately write medical malpractice, general liability, professional liability, products liability and excess liability coverages. They can be formed as a mutual or stock company, or a reciprocal.

Secondary Market - The secondary market is populated by buyers willing to pay what they determine to be fair market value.

Section 1035 Exchange - This refers to a part of the Internal Revenue Code that allows owners to replace a life insurance or annuity policy without creating a taxable event.

Section 7702 - Part of the Internal Revenue Code that defines the conditions a life policy must satisfy to qualify as a life insurance contract, which has tax advantages.

Separate Account - A separate account is an investment option that is maintained separately from an insurer's general account. Investment risk associated with separate-account investments is born by the contract owner.

Solvency - Having sufficient assets--capital, surplus, reserves--and being able to satisfy financial requirements--investments, annual reports, examinations--to be eligible to transact insurance business and meet liabilities.

Standard Auto - Auto insurance for average drivers with relatively few accidents during lifetime.

State of Domicile - The state in which the company is incorporated or chartered. The company also is licensed (admitted) under the state's insurance statutes for those lines of business for which it qualifies.

Statutory Reserve - A reserve, either specific or general, required by law.

Stock Insurance Company - An incorporated insurer with capital contributed by stockholders, to whom earnings are distributed as dividends on their shares.

Stop Loss - Any provision in a policy designed to cut off an insurer's losses at a given point.

Subaccount Charge - The fee to manage a subaccount, which is an investment option in variable products that is separate from the general account.

Subrogation - The right of an insurer who has taken over another's loss also to take over the other person's right to pursue remedies against a third party.

Successive Periods - In hospital income protection, when confinements in a hospital are due to the same or related causes and are separated by less than a contractually stipulated period of time, they are considered part of the same period of confinement.

Surplus - The amount by which assets exceed liabilities.

Surrender Charge - Fee charged to a policyholder when a life insurance policy or annuity is surrendered for its cash value. This fee reflects expenses the insurance company incurs by placing the policy on its books, and subsequent administrative expenses.

Surrender Period - A set amount of time during which you have to keep the majority of your money in an annuity contract. Most surrender periods last from five to 10 years. Most contracts will allow you to take out at least 10% a year of the accumulated value of the account, even during the surrender period. If you take out more than that 10%, you will have to pay a surrender charge on the amount that you have withdrawn above that 10%.

Term Life Insurance - Life insurance that provides protection for a specified period of time. Common policy periods are one year, five years, 10 years or until the insured reaches age 65 or 70. The policy doesn't build up any of the nonforfeiture values associated with whole life policies.

Tort - A private wrong, independent of contract and committed against an individual, which gives rise to a legal liability and is adjudicated in a civil court. A tort can be either intentional or unintentional, and liability insurance is mainly purchased to cover unintentional torts.

Total Admitted Assets - This item is the sum of all admitted assets, and are valued in accordance with state laws and regulations, as reported by the company in its financial statements filed with state insurance regulatory authorities. This item is reported net as to encumbrances on real estate (the amount of any encumbrances on real estate is deducted from the value of the real estate) and net as to amounts recoverable from reinsurers (which are deducted from the corresponding liabilities for unpaid losses and unearned premiums).

Total Annual Loan Cost - The projected annual average cost of a reverse mortgage including all itemized costs.

Total Loss - A loss of sufficient size that it can be said no value is left. The complete destruction of the property. The term also is used to mean a loss requiring the maximum amount a policy will pay.

Umbrella Policy - Coverage for losses above the limit of an underlying policy or policies such as homeowners and auto insurance. While it applies to losses over the dollar amount in the underlying policies, terms of coverage are sometimes broader than those of underlying policies.

Unaffiliated Investments - These investments represent total unaffiliated investments as reported in the exhibit of admitted assets. It is cash, bonds, stocks, mortgages, real estate and accrued interest, excluding investment in affiliates and real estate properties occupied by the company.

Underwriter - The individual trained in evaluating risks and determining rates and coverages for them. Also, an insurer.

Underwriting - The process of selecting risks for insurance and classifying them according to their degrees of insurability so that the appropriate rates may be assigned. The process also includes rejection of those risks that do not qualify.

Underwriting Expenses Incurred - Expenses, including net commissions, salaries and advertising costs, which are attributable to the production of net premiums written.

Underwriting Expense Ratio - This represents the percentage of a company's net premiums written that went toward underwriting expenses, such as commissions to agents and brokers, state and municipal taxes, salaries, employee benefits and other operating costs. The ratio is computed by dividing underwriting expenses by net premiums written. The ratio is computed by dividing underwriting expenses by net premiums written. A company with an underwriting expense ratio of 31.3% is spending more than 31 cents of every dollar of net premiums written to pay underwriting costs. It should be noted that different lines of business have intrinsically differing expense ratios. For example, boiler and machinery insurance, which requires a corps of skilled inspectors, is a high expense ratio line. On the other hand, expense ratios are usually low on group health insurance.

Underwriting Guide - Details the underwriting practices of an insurance company and provides specific guidance as to how underwriters should analyze all of the various types of applicants they might encounter. Also called an underwriting manual, underwriting guidelines, or manual of underwriting policy.

Unearned Premiums - That part of the premium applicable to the unexpired part of the policy period.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage - Endorsement to a personal automobile policy that covers an insured collision with a driver who does not have liability insurance.

Valuation - A calculation of the policy reserve in life insurance. Also, a mathematical analysis of the financial condition of a pension plan.

Valuation Reserve - A reserve against the contingency that the valuation of assets, particularly investments, might be higher than what can be actually realized or that a liability may turn out to be greater than the valuation placed on it.

Variable Annuitization - The act of converting a variable annuity from the accumulation phase to the payout phase.

Variable Life Insurance - A form of life insurance whose face value fluctuates depending upon the value of the dollar, securities or other equity products supporting the policy at the time payment is due.

Variable Universal Life Insurance - A combination of the features of variable life insurance and universal life insurance under the same contract. Benefits are variable based on the value of underlying equity investments, and premiums and benefits are adjustable at the option of the policyholder.

Viatical Settlement Provider - Someone who serves as a sales agent, but does not actually purchase policies.

Viator - The terminally ill person who sells his or her life insurance policy.

Voluntary Reserve - An allocation of surplus not required by law. Insurers often accumulate such reserves to strengthen their financial structure.

Waiver of Premium - A provision in some insurance contracts which enables an insurance company to waive the collection of premiums while keeping the policy in force if the policyholder becomes unable to work because of an accident or injury. The waiver of premium for disability remains in effect as long as the ensured is disabled.

Whole Life Insurance - Life insurance which might be kept in force for a person's whole life and which pays a benefit upon the person's death, whenever that might be.

Yield on Invested Assets (IRIS) - Annual net investment income after expenses, divided by the mean of cash and net invested assets. This ratio measures the average return on a company's invested assets. This ratio is before capital gains/losses and income taxes.